How to get your home ready for painters

A little preparation before painting day means the crew can start right away, finish faster and leave your home spotless. Here's a simple checklist.

Inside the house

• Clear small items. Take down pictures, mirrors, curtains and wall decorations, and put away anything fragile.
• Move furniture to the center. Leave a few feet of space along the walls. We cover everything with drop cloths.
• Empty shelves and cabinets if they are being painted.
• Pick your colors early and share the exact paint names or codes with us.
• Plan for pets and kids to stay away from wet paint and ladders.

Outside the house

• Move cars, grills, patio furniture and planters away from the walls.
• Trim back bushes and branches touching the house.
• Turn off sprinklers on painting days so fresh paint stays dry.
• Keep an eye on the weather. Most exterior paints need dry conditions and mild temperatures to cure well. We'll plan around rain.

On painting day

• Make sure we can get to the rooms or sides of the house being painted.
• Let us know about anything you're worried about, like an old stain, a crack or a tricky spot.
• Keep windows open a little or run fans to help with air flow while the paint dries.

The more space we have to work, the faster and cleaner the job.

After we finish

Give the paint time to fully harden before you scrub walls or hang heavy things back up. Paint can feel dry within hours, but it keeps curing for days to weeks, depending on the product and weather. We'll leave any leftover paint labeled for future touch-ups.